Canavan sparkles as superb Tyrone take crown

Tyrone 0-23 Down1-5

Time for another rash revision of opinions. Yesterday in a Clones that the weekend heat seemed to bypass, Tyrone played at a standard other teams have yet to reach this summer.

Their three main challengers (Kerry, Armagh, Galway) take note. Days ago the Tyrone defence was ridiculed for being clueless under a high ball. Yesterday, they gave an exhibition of

defending in swarms and toiling to breaking point for each other.

This is a team and manager open-minded enough to accept their short-comings and not afraid to keep learning.

"We are still a long way from the finished article", said a satisfied Mickey Harte, eager to douse those flames of expectation. "This team is just learning all the time. We have had good championship days and bad championship days. Put them together and we are only middling," he said.

In a football-mad county starved of an All-Ireland, those fires are likely to rage. There was plenty to admire in Tyrone. Ryan McMenamin was awesome in a sweeping role, probably doing enough to nudge Peter Canavan from the man-of-the-match award.

Still, it was the great one they spoke of afterwards. As Harte said the superlatives have run out for Canavan, but this game will rank high in his personal highlight reel. He scored 11 points, equalling Frank McGuigan's 1984 account, for highest individual tally in an Ulster final.

Another record fell to his scoring splurge, as he ended his northern odyssey with the highest personal total for an Ulster championship. It was the fourth time he was crowned the Ulster championship's highest scorer, another record, and the third time he lifted the Anglo-Celt Cup, equalling a record.

Occasionally yesterday, Clones fell under the spell of his magic. In the 13th minute, he chipped a 45 into the chest of Enda McGinley, gratefully received the return pass, jigged and dinked his way into a scoring position and lofted the ball over the bar. Martin Cole was unnerved by an early, harsh booking and couldn't handle Canavan as well as he did last week.

By the end of the game, Cole had received his marching orders, alongside Dan Gordon in a 90-second period of madness by some of Down's younger players.

Canavan's father passed away a couple of weeks ago, and he referred to him in his victory speech.

If Canavan remains the talisman, Eoin Mulligan is rapidly developing into the perfect foil. He nailed four points yesterday, tore apart all of Paddy O'Rourke's plans to subdue him, causing havoc. Mulligan excels as a target man , but he wasn't the only peroxide blond to impress.

Facilitating Cormac McAnallen's role as a makeshift full-back, Kevin Hughes returned to his under-age home of midfield and his manager singled out his three-point display.

"I think people now see Tyrone have more than two midfielders," Harte said. "Kevin Hughes took his chance there like a man possessed. He hasn't always played to his potential but by god he did today."

The absence of Greg McCartan confirmed everyone's worst fears for Down. Shorn of his influence, Hughes and Sean Cavanagh eased into control at midfield.

Cavanagh provided the pass for Mulligan's opening score after 50 seconds. Canavan was soon tacking on points and by Mulligan's score in the 17th minute, which put Tyrone 7-2 ahead, the game was over as a contest.

Trailing 0-10 to 0-3 at the break, the Down cause was already hopeless.

It could have been worse. Mickey McVeigh denied Canavan and Cavanagh clear-cut goal chances, and paid a price for it in the second half when he was hit by a missile thrown from the crowd, an action that incensed Canavan.

"You don't want to see that in Gaelic football. We have very good supporters in Tyrone, but I don't know who did that," he said.

All the incident did was break Tyrone's total dominance of this match. Down finally scored from play in the 50th minute, through Liam Doyle, and Ronan Murtagh finished the consolation goal brilliantly.

But, they were unrecognisable from the side that almost won the Ulster

title last week. And there was certain resignation in O'Rourke's words when he contemplated how he was going to lift his players for next Saturday's qualifier against Donegal.

"It has to be done", the manager said, a little upset that two harsh red cards means two of his better players are out of the tie.

As for Tyrone, they march on. And their reservoir of talent is now looking as deep as those in Galway and Kerry. Stephen O'Neill has been injured for this epic Ulster final.

Brian McGuigan shows himself to be a wonderful playmaker. Frank McGuigan and Ger Cavlan both came off the bench and scored.

Their biggest test lies ahead. Banishing the Croker demons. But, finally, there seems to be a spine of steel running through a Tyrone team.

Scorers: P Canavan (0-11, 8 frees, 1 45), E Mulligan (0-4), K Hughes (0-3), B Dooher, S Kavanagh, F McGuigan, G Cavlan, R McMenamin (0-1 each) Down: L Doyle (0-4, 3 frees), R Murtagh (1-0), M Walsh (0-1, free)

TYRONE: P McConnell; D Carlin, C McAnallen, R McMenamin, C Gourley, C Gormley, P Jordan; K Hughes, S Kavanagh; B Dooher, B McGuigan, S Mulgrew, E McGinley, P Canavan, E Mulligan Subs G Cavlan for Dooher (57 mins), F McGuigan for McGinley (63 mins), M Coleman for B McGuigan (70 mins)

DOWN: M McVeigh; J Clarke, B Grant, M Cole, J Laverty, A O'Prey, A Molloy; S Ward, B Burns; L Doyle, M Walsh, B Coulter, J McCartan, D Gordon, R Murtagh Subs: C McRickard for Walsh, D Sheehan for O'Prey (both h-t), A Scullion for Molloy (50 mins), G McMahon for Coulter (52 mins)

Referee: B White (Wexford)